Following the Example

One of the many enjoyable aspects of raising kids is watching them learn and expand their knowledge and skills. Particularly if it’s one you share with the child. The other day while Emma and I were painting she suggested I paint a pine tree (ha!). She watched while I mixed some bright green with blue to create a deeper shade of green and then tapped the brush on the paper to make soft looking foliage. We didn’t have any brown for the trunk so I mixed orange and purple.

When I was done she wanted to try, so with no further instruction whatsoever she took the brush and did almost verbatim what I had done (except the brush was still full of orange and purple paint). She mixed green and blue, then tapped it on the paper the same way I had done. I was impressed! Then, she further impressed me by mixing orange and purple to make brown and do a trunk. Sure, the end result might be a painting that only a parent can love, but I was still exceptionally impressed and proud of the way she had observed and replicated my example!